Large round bales of hay weigh between 1500 and 3000 pounds, depending on the size of the baler used. After the bales are created, it is necessary to gather them from the hay fields and remove them to a storage area for subsequent feeding to livestock.
A plurality of hay transport trailers exist, but it is often difficult to load and unload the large round bales from these trailers. Existing trailers often have to be adjusted laterally to squeeze or otherwise grasp the bales, and commonly involve a plurality of moving parts.
It is therefore a principal object of this invention to provide a method and means for transporting bales wherein a large number of bales can be quickly picked up from the field, transported to a storage location, and quickly discharged from the bale transport mechanism.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method and means for transporting bales which substantially avoids the steps of adjusting the bale carrying mechanism to grasp the bales being transported.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a method and means for transporting bales which can be conveniently operated from a conventional farm tractor.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a method and means for transporting bales wherein the bales can be easily and efficiently picked up from the ground surface upon which they are resting and from a random location within a harvested hayfield.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.